Save The Date: 2016 Belgian Waffle Ride

The fifth running of the Belgian Waffle Ride will go down April 23-24, 2016 in San Marcos, California. Organizers say this will be the largest cycling extravaganza in Belgian Waffle Ride history, and participation numbers will be capped at 1,200 of the best from all over, including Olympians; World, National and State champions; professional and amateur cyclists; and surf, motocross and bike industry luminaries.

“The Belgian Waffle Ride presented by SPY was created as an homage to the storied history of bike racing in Belgium—a wonderful country considered to be the epicenter of the hardest one-day bike races in the world,” says Michael Marckx, CDO of Creative Disruption and creator of the event. “A tribute to the beautiful—and equally grueling—races staged in Belgium during the early spring, this year’s route will once again be different than all of the previous years with some new and sinuous gravel, dirt, and rocky sections, and more climbing than rural Belgium could offer, promising more fun, more pain and more opportunity for excuses than ever before. We hope to have at least 14 dirt sections, more than 11,000 feet of climbing and headwinds no matter which direction you ride.”

For a better look at the ride from the inside, check out this photo gallery. For the official word from Creative Disruption, please follow the jumpThe Belgian Waffle Ride Announces Date for Fifth Edition of Suffering and Celebration

San Diego, CA—The most unique cycling event in the country, the Belgian Waffle Ride, is back for its fifth edition of pedaling perversity. Created as an extremely challenging cycling event in the spirit of the great one-day spring classics of Belgium, the Belgian Waffle Ride (BWR) presented by SPY will return to North County San Diego on April 24, 2016. In addition, and like last year, there will be a shorter, and only half as painful Belgian Wafer Ride, as well as a the expanded BWR Lifestyle and Fitness Expo, hosted by The Lost Abbey Brewery in San Marcos, Calif.

As in the past, this truly unique event—complete with waffles, moules-frites, Lost Abbey ale, more waffles, and more Lost Abbey ale—promises to punish worthy entrants with a 225-kilometer cycling route split roughly into two 112-kilometer loops with 11,000 feet of undulating climbing through the unrelenting hills of San Diego County. The majority of the competitors take on the ride using modified road bikes or gravel grinders, but it’s not uncommon to see a cyclo-cross bike, mountain bike or even an ElliptiGO.

“The Belgian Waffle Ride presented by SPY was created as an homage to the storied history of bike racing in Belgium—a wonderful country considered to be the epicenter of the hardest one-day bike races in the world,” says Michael Marckx, CDO of Creative Disruption and creator of the event. “A tribute to the beautiful—and equally grueling—races staged in Belgium during the early spring, this year’s route will once again be different than all of the previous years with some new and sinuous gravel, dirt, and rocky sections, and more climbing than rural Belgium could offer, promising more fun, more pain and more opportunity for excuses than ever before. We hope to have at least 14 dirt sections, more than 11,000 feet of climbing and headwinds no matter which direction you ride.”

The fifth annual fete will mark the largest cycling extravaganza in Belgian Waffle Ride history, and participation numbers will be capped at 1200 of the best from all over, including Olympians; World, National and State champions; professional and amateur cyclists; and surf, motocross and bike industry luminaries.

Similar to previous occasions, the festivities around the Belgian Waffle Ride presented by SPY begin a day before the race with a Lifestyle and Fitness Expo, on Saturday, April 23, at The Lost Abbey brewery. Open to the public, the expo will feature a variety of craft beers created to reflect the monastic brewing traditions of Belgium. During the expo, attendees and racers can peruse the offerings from event sponsors and other exhibitors.

“We’re excited to partner again with our friends at the Lost Abbey, who will be hosting the start of the ride, the finish and BWR’s expanded two-day expo. We plan to do live-streaming of the event and the post-race antics online for those that can’t make it to the Lost Abbey that weekend,” adds Marckx. “Keeping up with tradition, we will continue to support the Challenged Athletes Foundation® and accomplish the task of consuming massive piles of Belgian waffles from our friends at Gear Grinder Grill alongside a frosty glass of Lost Abbey Belgian Waffle Ride Bad Ass Ale.”

Details on the BWR Weekend Events and Race Start:

On April 23, one-day prior the event, The Lost Abbey hosted Lifestyle and Fitness Expo runs from noon to 5:00 pm and on Sunday, 6:00 am until the end of the race. Racers can pick-up their entry packets during Expo hours Saturday or before the race on Sunday. The Expo will remain open on Sunday throughout the duration of the event until beers, jeers and awards are distributed for heroic efforts and lack-thereof.

StageOne Apparel will once again be the official apparel partner of the BWR.

Race day events kick-off at The Lost Abbey at 6:00 am on Sunday, April 24, with a catered breakfast for the participants, replete with fuel-sized portions of authentic Belgian waffles.

The BWR pain and suffering will commence on Sunday, April 24 at 7:00am and will feature five waves, plus the Wafer Ride, which will begin after the BWR waves.

Registration will open in January and will fill up virtually overnight. Entry fee is $135 for the 140-mile Belgian Waffle Ride and $100 for the less taxing, 70-mile Belgian Wafer ride. Registered Belgian Waffle and Wafer Riders will help support the event’s cause, the Challenged Athletes Foundation® (CAF), whose mission is to provide opportunities and support to people with physical challenges so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. Spy is the presenting sponsor and some category sponsorships are available still.

This year’s Belgian Waffle Ride, which is produced by Creative Disruption, will be a part of a series of similar old world meets new world events called the Monuments of Cycling, which will include the German Wienerschnitzel Ride, the Spanish Paella Ride, the Dutch Oven Ride, the Italian Sausage Ride and others.

For more information about the Belgian Waffle and Wafer Rides, go to https://www.facebook.com/Belgianwaffleride

For information about the Belgian Waffle Ride, please contact Michael Marckx at mmx@creativedisruption.info.

The ride is on Sunday 4/24/16. Signup date was just announced yesterday – it is 1/15/16. Available slots are expected to fill up quickly. BWR doesn’t have a website but they do have a Facebook page and some sort of email list though I’m not sure how to get on that.

Hi Teresa! Did you read the post that you just commented on? All the information you need is right here or on their Facebook page. If you need more then send email to the email address at the bottom of the post.